Me and all the labels that I carry with me!

Krystyna, Krys or Krysia Korsak. That’s Me. Thought l should say a bit about myself as l am very new to blogging…but not completely new to writing.  My name…Polish, both parents from Eastern Poland coming to Britain via Stalins’ Siberian work camps, the Polish Free Army and Monte Casino. They were both tailors in London where l was born into a large Catholic Polish Community, speaking Polish first and immersed in Polish folk customs. From 11 to 16 l was a boarder at a Polish Convent School for girls. At 16 l enrolled at a very large mixed Comprehensive to do my A levels in Dunstable and to widen my view of the world!

l trained as a teacher of Art and R. E. in Warwickshire, later teaching in Canterbury and Chartham. I have 6 children by my 1st husband, 2 daughters born in Kent. In 1987 we moved from Wye, Kent to Paisley, Scotland…having never been over the border. To cut a very long story short, l later went on to have 4 more children, 2 daughters and 2 sons. Along the way, this convoluted journey, l was homeless and bankrupt with 5 children but was luckily given a house with big gardens on 3 sides, in Lanark, Southern Scotland. My youngest son was born here.

The garden was my therapy, my healer, my still quiet space and l set about creating a garden from nothing. It was neglected, uncared for. Many unresolved and painful issues brought about the end of my 1st marriage, and we separated in 2006. Not the place to write about them here…and it wasn’t all bad and it taught me so much and brought me to the place l am now.

Now? I met John over a pint of real ale at an acoustic folk night in Lanark in 2008. We ended up singing together, me playing guitar…instant connection. We married in 2011 at Elgol, on the Isle of Skye. Having previously worked with Autistic adults, we now run our own gardening and landscaping business. I am a church organist, pianist and am learning to play the  Irish whistle and Oud. We tend our garden organically, try and grow as much of our own produce as we can, look after Bonnie our dog, Hermes and Athena our cats, and Rhiannon, 21, and Ruairi, 17. We have a ton of salt water in our lounge where John keeps a coral reef aquarium, soft and hard corals and various marine fish, shrimps, crabs and snails. That’s another story…

l paint when l can, as you can see, l am now writing when l can, in between cooking vegetarian meals, baking bread etc. making jam, chutney, yoghurt etc etc. We are endeavouring to live a simple life, at a slower pace and shortly when the Scottish weather becomes a little kinder, will start our care taking of gardens once again. We hold a weekly spiritual house group…open to all, all faiths, all backgrounds, all philosophies. I currently play organ at the Episcopal church here but my spiritual path is broadening, as we recently went on a Sufi retreat…and have been stroked with so much loving kindness and compassion, that we are facing in new directions, treading new pathways…

There will be much to share with you all over the coming years…